


Never Lose Your Hold of Me Again

by EthelPhantom



Category: Code Geass
Genre: Alternate Universe - Afterlife, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, First Kiss, Fluff, Forgiveness, M/M, Memory Loss, Post-Canon, Reunions, The closure we needed but never got, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-18 09:42:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19331998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EthelPhantom/pseuds/EthelPhantom
Summary: Suzaku had wondered times and times again what it would feel like to die. Whether he would be calm and relaxed for the first time in ages, or if death was going to bring him to the brink of a panic attack as he tried to avoid losing the world he knew, scared of what was to come, that he didn't know.Could death truly be worth the decades of waiting and longing for it, or all the times he had thrown himself straight towards the danger because he wanted to die but thought it shameful to commit suicide?………Or, Suzaku finally dies and wakes up only to find himself in a weird place with next to no memories. Can he find the memories of what he knows he should have never forgotten there?(The afterlife fic no one asked for but I wrote anyway)





	Never Lose Your Hold of Me Again

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, here again after being quiet for a few weeks. I've been extremely self-conscious about my writing lately and had a major writer's block, which in turn meant that I avoided writing by drawing, but let's hope I'll get back to writing. 
> 
> Also, to everyone that reads Tides Brought to You, I haven't abandoned it, I just don't know how to write what I have planned for it, and I don't want to sacrifice quality for quantity. Please be patient with me a little longer still. 
> 
> Oh, about this fic, I decided that since Charles could alter C's world and its appearance, other characters could too, at least after getting used to the place. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Suzaku had wondered times and times again what it would feel like to die. Whether he would be calm and relaxed for the first time in ages, or if death was going to bring him to the brink of a panic attack as he tried to avoid losing the world he knew, scared of what was to come. Would the geass once cast on him activate or not, was he going to see a familiar face before closing his eyes for good, or if he was going to stare in the eyes of an assassin as he breathed his last breath, that he didn’t know.

Could death truly be worth the decades of waiting and longing for it, or all the times he had thrown himself straight towards the danger because he wanted to die but thought it shameful to commit suicide? He was aware of none of that. He didn’t even know whether it was going to be agonising or painless, slow or quick.

Frankly, it was a little disappointing. He wanted his money back.

He had only felt a sharp pain in his chest and going through his heart, but he didn’t know what had happened. He couldn’t remember anything of the moment or why he had died. Had someone killed him, or had he died of natural causes?

No, no recollections of any of that. All Suzaku knew and remembered was that everyone he had ever loved or cared about had died, everyone but one, and only he had been left to survive. Only he, who had only ever wanted to die, had been left alive. He couldn’t even remember who had died. As he fell through the endless darkness and agony, he was only aware of worrying whether Nunnally would find his corpse and mourn him. He hoped she wouldn’t. She had experienced pain enough to share between multiple lifetimes, she didn’t need any more of it. Not because of him.

And then he found himself in a place he could vaguely recognise as familiar. Suzaku didn’t know why he knew the place or from where he knew it, but he was absolutely certain he had been there before a long time ago, and if not that, then he had at the very least seen it.

Maybe he had dreamt of afterlife one too many times and that’s why saw it now based on what he had imagined in his dreams (and nightmares).

He wondered if he was alone or if he was going to find someone else in here as well.

“Hey, Suzaku!”

Suzaku heard a yell, a feminine voice, and turned around to see who had called for him. He really wanted to know who knew him, and if he knew them as well — or if he remembered them, his memory didn’t seem to be working very well right now.

A girl ran towards him and waved excitedly, her orange hair flowing behind her. A bit younger, brown-haired boy walked behind her and Suzaku could swear he made a face as he recognised him. They were both familiar to him but he wasn’t able to connect them to any names of the people he had once known. Not that he knew any of the names either.

“You’re here as well! It’s great to see you again after such a long time. Is Nunna doing okay?”

So, the girl apparently knew Nunnally as well. Who in the world could she be? And had she died before or after he became the Knight of Zero (for whom he had become that, though?)? She spoke too kindly to him to have known him during that time of cruelties and inhumane actions, so probably before. She had even expressed being glad to see him. There was no way she had personally seen him do all that.

“The empress is fine. I think. I hope. She’s getting old, though, so it’s unlikely she’ll be in reign much longer”, Suzaku replied, somehow immediately trusting this girl enough to tell her that. Well, she was dead if she was here anyway, it wasn’t like it mattered. Even if she meant harm to Nunnally, she could do nothing from here, away from the land of the living.

It didn’t take longer than a few seconds before panic settled in him. “But I’m no longer there to protect her, so what if something happens to her now that I’m gone? I’d betray her trust in me after that event even though she should have never placed her faith in me to begin with! Not to mention I would be betraying _his_ trust after he entrusted me with her safety! How can I even explain—”, and then he stopped talking mid sentence. It was like someone had just cut it and he couldn’t bring it to his mind what he was about to say.

For the life of his, Suzaku couldn’t remember for whom he had sworn to protect Nunnally. “...Who was it again?”

The girl placed her hand on his shoulder, and instead of alarming or startling him like it would have done before, it gave him comfort. He could only think he either really did know her or that she had the same loving and comforting effect on people as Nunnally did.

“Oh Suzaku, you’ve forgotten everything, haven’t you?”, she asked, smiling sadly. This girl definitely knew him, otherwise she wouldn’t act like this, but Suzaku still had no idea who she was. He felt quite bad about that.

“First of all, I’m sure Nunna is fine, you took good care of her and made sure she had trustworthy people around her. She knows how to take care of herself, and besides, there aren’t many people who want to harm her. She’ll be fine, I’m sure. And secondly, what _do_ you remember before I tell you some things you might need to know?”

“I… I remember dying despite the geass forced on me that didn’t let me die — who put it on me, though, I do not know — and I remember I was Zero for the longest time, although I can’t recall for what or whom I did it. I also know I hated every single second of it, and that the Empress is great and kind and she should have never trusted me after the things I did, and now I’m not even there for her anymore. I think I also remember swearing an oath that I would always protect her with everything I had and was to someone.”

Hadn’t someone dear to him once told him he trusted people too easily? Yeah, well, he was definitely doing it again with another person he didn’t know. He decided it didn’t matter anymore. It’s not like trusting would get him killed anymore.

“Do you remember what the things you did were? How about people, for example me? Or really, anyone besides Nunna?

Suzaku shook his head and felt kind of bad about it. This girl was so sweet and seemed to genuinely want to help him, and he couldn’t even remember her. Even so, the girl nodded understandingly and continued talking.

“Well, if you remember that little, maybe it’s better for you to remember and find out some matters yourself. But, I can introduce myself to you, and I’m sure this one here can do the same”, she said, gesturing at the young boy behind her who didn’t look too happy about being here — or Suzaku being here, Suzaku couldn’t tell.

“So, my name is Shirley Fenette, and we went to the Ashford Academy together, at least for a little while, and we were both in the Student Council. Then you couldn’t forgive a certain someone, I decided to help him because I realised he was all alone since even you wouldn’t there for him, and then this one here—” she pointed at the boy behind her, “— ended up shooting me dead because he thought I was going to hurt the aforementioned someone.”

“You had a gun!”, the boy finally spoke up, nearly yelling. Shirley’s expression didn’t change at all as she looked at him.

“Yes, and I also said I wanted to help him.”

“And you said we should help him reunite with Nunnally! She would have replaced me!”

“First of all, you took her place, you don’t have the right to complain. Secondly, you would have grown to like Nunna too, and then you could have been a family, the three of you together.”

“But—!”

“No buts. Introduce yourself to Suzaku. Remember, no before-death grudges allowed. There’s no need for such.”

When the girl — Shirley, he recalled her telling him — looked back at him, she must have noticed the shocked and horrified look on his face because she smiled quickly and informed him that she had forgiven the boy decades ago, and that it was all fine now.

“Rolo—”, the boy looked at Shirley questioningly as though he was asking for permission, and she just nodded. Suzaku had no idea what was going on or what they were referring to. “—Lamperouge.”

Suzaku expected the boy to say something more, but when he didn’t, Suzaku turned back to Shirley.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Shirley, Rolo — again, I suppose. I’m sorry I cannot remember either of y—”, he began  before a bunch of memories hit him. He remembered saving someone important to Shirley (and possibly him, too), and then her thanking him for it, happily welcoming him to the Student Council despite most people hated him for being an Eleven. He remember saving her with someone else when she fell from a roof, only to find out later that she was shot to death — that she had committed suicide. Now he knew for a fact that was a lie and why she had actually died, at least.

Suzaku remembered Rolo working under him as he was the Knight of Seven, him being a bit too obsessed with someone and just wanting to be loved. He recalled that this boy had replaced Nunnally after some horrible events as someone’s… friend? Younger sibling? when they were trying to fool said someone.

For some reason, Suzaku was sure that this someone was the same he couldn’t remember in so many other scenarios and memories. He was sure they were bound tightly to his life, braided carefully into nearly every memory in his life, and for some reason he still couldn’t remember them. Suzaku hated not being able to remember who they were. He had a feeling they were someone very important or at the very least someone who held great significance in his life, and maybe even to him.

“Shirley! Rolo! Who did you find this time?”

So more people he was probably supposed to know. At least they hadn’t called him by his name yet so there was a slim chance they didn’t know—

“It’s Suzaku! Come say hi, it’s been such a long time since you met him!”

Okay, so there was no longer a chance they didn’t know him. Damnit.

“Suzaku, as in Kururugi Suzaku, as in the Knight of Zero?”

“Yeah, as in Kururugi Suzaku, as in the Knight of Zero, who other Suzaku do we all know? You forgave Rolo and even _him_ a long time ago, this shouldn’t be a big deal.”

Suzaku very much felt like they were purposefully hiding something from him by not mentioning this ‘him’ by name. Besides, Shirley had used a ‘you know exactly who I’m talking about and we aren’t discussing that any further’ kind of a tone, and he really had no idea what it was supposed to mean. Suzaku most definitely wasn’t good at reading people.

…Although, he was pretty sure he was good at reading one person — so good that he read the person as though they were an open book when nearly no one else could figure them out, and he could immediately tell when they were lying to his face —, but even though he remembered that, he couldn’t remember the person themselves.

Maybe they were the ‘he’ Shirley seemed to refuse to name?

“You’re right. He did stay with Nunnally until now and protected and took care of her until he died, so… And wasn’t all that from before an act, or…?”

The woman that had spoken was familiar as well. She had blonde hair touching her shoulders and bright, intelligent blue eyes. There was a glint of mischief constantly present in them as well. Suzaku did not like that look, at all. It was, frankly speaking, terrifying.

“So I’ve understood. Which means, now we need him to get his memories back because this isn’t working. We can’t let them meet until Suzaku knows more about everything, otherwise if he meets him he might go into shock. We don’t know enough about things, not in the same way the two of them know, so we can’t just tell him everything either. He needs to remember them himself.”

And now they were talking like he wasn’t in the room — or space? Whatever this place could be called — with them.

“Hey, Suzaku, you remember me?”, the man with blue hair asked him, looking so enthusiastic that he looked like he was about to start jumping up and down. Suzaku almost felt bad that he had to shake his head and tell him he didn’t.

The woman looked surprised, her eyes widening. “He doesn’t remember us? He doesn’t remember _him_?”

Suzaku glanced to the side and rubbed his cheek. “I’m sorry, I can’t seem to remember almost anything”, he replied. “You’re somewhat familiar, but I have no idea who you are.”

“We had to reintroduce ourselves to him, so you might as well”, Rolo piped up from behind Shirley. When he had hid there, that Suzaku didn’t know.

“Oh, of course. Well then, my name is Milly Ashford, the granddaughter of the principal of the Ashford Academy where we both went. I was the Student Council President, and we were friends”, she said smiling. The glint of mischief was back in her eyes. “After graduating from school, I became a reporter. I was also one of the people who realised it was you behind the mask of Zero”, she laughed.

She knew he was Zero back in the world of living, too? That wasn’t good. It made him wonder how many other people had found out as well.

...But why did it matter his identity was a secret in the first place? Had he promised he would keep himself hidden behind the mask of Zero to someone?

_“This, then, shall be your punishment. You will live on, always wearing that mask, as the knight of justice. You will no longer live your life as Kururugi Suzaku. You shall sacrifice the pleasure of being an ordinary person to the world forevermore.”_

Whose words could they have been again?

Suzaku shook his head, trying to forget about the words that didn’t leave him alone. That earned him puzzled looks from just about everyone present but none of them thankfully mentioned it.

“I’m Rivalz, Rivalz Cardemonde, and I think we were friends! You were better friends with my buddy though, but you know, you and I got along pretty well. You never really liked that I drove him to casinos or let him borrow my motorbike whenever he went to play chess, but like, we still kept doing it and at some point you just kinda gave up on complaining”, he grinned and threw his arm around Suzaku’s shoulders. The way he did it was familiar, so Suzaku believed they had once been friends just about right away.

Yes, he actually _did_ remember some of that. Suzaku remembered scolding someone about their tendency to go play chess and gamble while doing it with Britannia’s nobility during the time Japan was still Area 11 because their secret could go out.

“Oh, that, indeed. You never stopped taking him there no matter how many times I told you — and him — it wasn’t a good idea at all. I could never tell you the real reason and just said it was dangerous, but I kept telling him he shouldn’t go because people could find out he was a— wait, what was it again? Who was he?”

“He remembered something! That’s good and progress!”, Shirley exclaimed and hugged Suzaku.

Milly just grinned. “Yeah, you’re right, he was indeed hiding his identity. He was the 11th prince, and you and I were the only ones who knew. Well, until _that_ day, but like, you were always being so careful about keeping him and his secret safe. You actually saved his life multiple times, first time only a few days after you enrolled to the Academy. He fell from the roof, actually. I could almost swear he fell on purpose, that drama queen. Probably wanted to see if you’d drop everything to save him”, she laughed.

“You were trying to catch a cat that you eventually ended up keeping. You named her Arthur. Anyway, I thought the cat had some dirt on him, something I could use to tease him, but then he slipped on something and you had to grab him before he fell into an inevitable death. He always did trust you more than anyone or anything else, so if the cat did actually have something on him, it’s possible he decided to distract you. Honestly, I wouldn’t be too surprised. It was kind of weird your expression was so damn horrified when he fell though. He was a Britannian and you were an Eleven, which meant that you probably wouldn’t like each other too much, or so I thought until I realised you were childhood friends.”

The event Milly mentioned sounded familiar — yes, actually, that was the time he saved someone important to Shirley, which led to her thanking him and introducing herself for the first time. Suzaku was finally able to connect some of his memories.

But, that meant the one he had saved was indeed the one he couldn’t remember but wanted to remember, which in turn meant that the person he wanted to remember was his childhood friend — or, so Milly had said. Even though he’d managed to connect some things, he was left with even more confusion now. Why couldn’t he remember someone he had known since he was a child?

“What happened then? Did something separate us and break off our friendship? I mean, I really cannot remember them — him?”

“Well, things that you should probably remember yourself happened. Honestly, I’m not always sure you were friends until the end. I know that I can for sure say that his death terminated both of your lives as I suppose you gave up your dreams and personal life, but I don’t know whether you were still in good terms at that point. In any case, if you happen to meet him, please tell him I said hello and that I forgive him. None of us is able to go even near him, let alone get him to talk to us”, Milly said, Rivalz nodding to just about everything she said. “But, what I do know is that we must get you to meet some other people you once knew so you might remember more. Is that fine with you?”

Suzaku sighed and raised his eyebrows at her. “I don’t think I have a say in this since you’d probably drag me there even if I said it wasn’t fine with me.”

Rivalz laughed and ruffled Suzaku’s hair, grinning. “Yep, you’re right about that one! Follow Shirley and go meet Kallen, Anya and Gino!”

Suzaku wasn’t given even a minute to just breathe, let alone prepare to getting pulled through the place as Shirley grabbed his hand and started running. He had no choice but to follow her helplessly as Rivalz and Milly waved. Rolo just glared at him. Suzaku was kind of glad about the fact he stayed behind, the boy made him somewhat uncomfortable. The three of them had not come with them, possibly because both Shirley and Suzaku were faster than them, as well as more athletic in general. Suzaku could with somewhat certainty say that Shirley had been in the swimming team in school.

“Hey, Kallen, guess who finally arrived!”, Shirley yelled when three people standing around and talking appeared to their line of sight. Two women of whom one was short, and a man.

“Is it C.C.? Please tell me it’s C.C.”

“She’s immortal and still hasn’t found anyone to kill her, so sorry, no. I know you miss her and want to see her again after such a long time, but still. Let’s just hope she’ll find a geass user strong and capable enough as soon as possible. Gino, take a guess!”

“Xingke?”

“Nope, he died a few months back, I think — wait, why have you not met him yet? Anyway, Anya, your turn to guess.”

“...Is it Suzaku?”

The blond man (Gino, possibly?) shook his head and looked at the short woman. “I doubt it’s Suzaku, Anya. He all but disappeared from the face of the earth when the Lancelot exploded on Damocles, and since I haven’t found him here either — and believe me, I tried to find him —, he’s probably just become immortal or some shit. You should know he’s nearly impossible to kill.”

Shirley laughed and shoved Suzaku to the three. He stumbled a few steps as he tried to not bump into the taller woman. “Sorry Gino, but Anya’s right. It is indeed Suzaku. I’ll leave him to you, please try to get him to remember _him_ because he remembers barely anything yet. If you find the task impossible, I think taking him to the princess could help, although you should do that only after he remembers her. Don’t forget to introduce yourselves to him as well!”, she said and left.

“You don’t remember? That’s so weird. All of us remembered everything when we arrived here”, the man said. He seemed to radiate energy that reminded Suzaku of a puppy of a golden retriever, and it still bothered Suzaku to no end.

...Wait, still?

“Shirley instructed us to introduce ourselves to you — even though it feels weird and really stupid since we all remember you —, we’ll do just that. I’m Kallen Kozuki, and these two are Gino Weinberg and Anya Alstreim. Gino is an irritating pain in the ass—”

“Hey!”

“—and Anya is addicted to that phone of hers that I’m still not sure how she managed to bring to C’s world. Seriously. No technology besides her phone seems to work here, and I have no idea how she does that. They were Knights of the Round, just like you were, and I was one of the Black Knights that fought against you up until you became Zero.”

Gino’s mouth dropped open and he turned to stare at Kallen, looking utterly and outmost shocked.

“So, aside from the fact that you just called me a pain in the ass—”

“You _are_ a huge pain in the ass, don’t try denying it.”

“—did you just say that it was _him_ behind the mask of Zero?! What the fuck, why didn’t you let me know, like, _thirty years ago_ ? You just let me hate him, what the hell. Also, why is _he_ , of all the possible people, Zero? Didn’t he like, you know, kill the emp—”

“Yes, Gino, and I’ve told you about a million times that it was Zero who most likely took that day the hardest, aside from the Empress, as well as that you shouldn’t hate him because she trusted him. I explicitly told you not to hate him, and you just flipped me off and went ‘I’m gonna hate him anyway’. What part about that sounds like I ‘let you hate him’? Seriously, I don’t know _how_ many times I need to tell you that it was all their plan, the plan they came up with and honed _together_ for the sake of peace?”

“What the fuck.”

An exasperated sigh came from Suzaku’s right. “Gino, it was always clear Zero was Suzaku. His physically impossible spinkicks, superior knightmare piloting skills, strength and speed should have already given him off. Zero and Spinzaku were literally the same. Besides, Zerozaku used the sword the emperor was seen with during the war, and I don’t think anyone would have gotten it from him just for the show if it wasn’t Zero. Also, the emperor was far too calm to be someone in that situation if it wasn’t his own plan and someone he trusted more than anything doing it.” Anya didn’t even look up from her phone as she spoke, and Gino looked even more shocked. Or, rather, betrayed.

“Betrayal! Anya, you are supposed to be my best friend! Why are you against me? Et tu, Brute?” Gino pretended to faint to Anya’s arms, but she just moved aside and Gino fell on the floor. “Ow…”

Suzaku found himself smiling at their antics, although he didn’t know why.

“Look, Suzaku knows how to smile!”

Gino seemed quick to change the subject as he pointed at Suzaku. It was annoying, but Suzaku had to admit, it was also amusing. Being with these three was weirdly comforting in this strange world, and that was why Suzaku was sure he had once known them.

“I know. You two just met him at the wrong time, after he dragged Le— _him_ in front of the previous emperor and let him be stripped of his dignity, or that’s what C.C. told me. It’s precisely how he got his position as the Knight of Seven. Betrayed his own best friend.”

“ _He shot Euphie first!_ I regret betraying him, but it’s not like he was blameless!”, Suzaku said, trying to defend his honour, and only then he realised he had no idea what he was talking about or from where what he had said had come. He stopped in his tracks and just stared blankly at nothingness.

“Suzaku, do you actually remember what happened or was it your reflexes speaking?”, Kallen asked, arching her eyebrow. Suzaku just shook his head. “How did you even manage to stay silent and against yourself the entire time you were Zero if you can't now? Damn, you’ve got some determination and dedication.”

“Didn’t Zero shoot— Oh wait, yeah, _he_ was the original Zero. Damn, must have taken a lot to kill his own sister and brother like it was nothing”, Gino said before continuing. “Also, you really don’t remember, do you?”

“No, I can’t remember. It just— I just said it. Did something like that really happen? And who is Euphie?”

Anya showed him the screen of her phone. Suzaku could see an old article on it. He read the first few lines quickly. “...The genocide princess… Shot by Zero… Her knight failed to protect her, died on the Avalon… Sir Kururugi is told to have executed Zero… Becomes the first non-Britannian Knight of the Rounds…”

And then it all hit him.

_Suzaku sat in the cockpit of the Lancelot when he saw Euphie. Relief washed over him and he sighed her name, but then she was shot. Zero had aimed his gun at Euphie and shot her. Suzaku screamed and watched in horror as she fell down, bleeding out._

_He charged, trying to attack Zero, as well as grab his princess so that she could hopefully be saved, but the Knightmare Zero used started moving on its own and defended the murderer of his beloved princess. Was there someone else piloting it? Even Kallen in her Guren MK-II, near as she was, attacked Suzaku, trying to defend Zero. He just wanted to save the girl he had sworn to protect with his own life, the girl that had trusted him to take care of her even though he was a number — what a terrible way to call a human being — to survive alive from this, but he was being stopped every time he tried to get her._

_There was no way Euphie would ever order anything like this, at least not in her right mind. Surely that damned Zero had something, if not all, to do with this, there was no doubt in his mind about it. Suzaku managed to grab Euphie with the Lancelot and left both Kallen and Zero be, knowing that if he didn’t, there would be even less of a chance for her to survive._

_He ran through the halls of Avalon, cradling his princess in his arms. He just ran and ran until he found what he had been looking for. Opening the door, he found Cécile and Lloyd in the room._

_“Please, you have to save Euphie!”_

_She didn’t survive._

_Suzaku swore to avenge her beloved princess._

_He just wished it wouldn’t be—_

“God, are you okay? You’re crying. What happened?”

Gino sounded genuinely worried as he handed Suzaku a handkerchief. Suzaku took it and wiped his eyes, only now realising tears had been streaming down his cheeks. When had he started crying?

“I— I remember. Some of it, at least. Is… Is Euphie here?”, Suzaku asked weakly, his question being close to a whisper. He just wanted to see her again.

“She is. I can take you to her, Suzaku”, Anya said and without checking whether Suzaku followed, she walked off to somewhere. Suzaku followed her and quickly waved to Gino and Kallen who stayed behind.

“Take care of yourself and tell the princess we said hello!”, Gino yelled after him.

He was probably not going to remember that.

“How is the Empress doing?”, Anya asked when Suzaku finally caught up with her.

“As far as I’m aware, she’s fine. I’m just scared that someone decides to harm her now that I’m here, unable to protect her.”

“She’ll be okay, and she’ll be here soon anyway, won’t she? We have to get _him_ to talk to us before she comes, and I don’t think anyone but you and possibly Princess Euphemia can do that, but seeing as she has tried for decades without succeeding, I think you’re our only hope. I’m sure the Empress could, too, but I don’t think it’s fair for her if she can’t just go to him like she should be able to.

“Is this ‘he’ the same that killed Euphie?”

“If he was the previous Zero, and I’m pretty sure he was, then yes.”

They fell into silence after that. Suzaku tried to remember who it was that he kept only barely remembering, tried to remember who it was that he was sure was braided into his life so tightly no one could get him out of it no matter what. He couldn’t even remember ‘him’, and yet he couldn’t get rid of ‘him’.

They reached a place that turned into a beach in front of their eyes as they stepped on the area. There was a beautiful blue lake, the air smelled salty and fresh. There were trees and plants sprouting on each side of what seemed to be a path.

“You’ll go alone, now. You haven’t seen her in decades, so I’ll give you some space”, she said and pretty much vanished into thin air the second he blinked. Afterlife was odd.

He walked through the shadowy path, only to realise that the further he got, the more trees grew on the path behind him, making his only way back disappear. Suzaku shook his head, trying to forget about it, and walked even further until he got to the beach itself. He took his shoes off and walked barefoot on the warm sand.

Only then did he realise the place was even more beautiful than he had initially thought. Mountains surrounded the lake, the sky was light blue, and only a few clouds drifted across the sky. He tried to look for another person but could see none — at least until he turned to look to right.

There, on a cliff, sat a girl with long pink hair, swaying her feet just above the shallow water. He walked towards her slowly, the hesitation that lived inside him now stronger than ever.

“Euphie?”, he asked, his voice only barely above a whisper. He had waited for this moment so long, hoped so long he could meet her again. Now that this moment had finally come, he didn’t know how to act.

The girl whipped her head around, and after her initial shock, a wide smile spread on her lips.

“Suzaku!”, she exclaimed and stood up, trying to avoid tripping on her dress. Then she ran towards him happily and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Suzaku caught her like it was all he had ever done and spun her around a few times before lowering her to the ground again.

“You’re finally here! I’ve been watching over you for years already — since I died, actually —, but then you disappeared and I didn’t know what happened so I came here to wait to see if I’d catch a glimpse of you in the reflection of the water or on the sky again. I hadn’t guessed you had died, although that explains why I couldn’t see you anymore perfectly well”, she said in one breath. It was like she tried to get everything out as fast as possible because she was afraid he wouldn’t be here in a few seconds anymore.

Suzaku chuckled. Euphie was still as bright as she had been when he had last seen her. “I’m so glad I could meet you again”, he said smiling. “I’ve waited for this so long.”

“Me too, Suzaku. Me too.”

Euphie hugged Suzaku tightly, and Suzaku hugged her back. He found himself smiling and decided that if dying meant he could meet Euphie again, it was worth it, and he would do it all over again.

Well, he was worried about Nunnally nonetheless, but so many people who had known her had already assured him that she would be alright, so Suzaku decided to trust them. She probably would, indeed. She had always been strong, she knew how to overcome tragedies. Suzaku just hoped his death wouldn’t affect her too much, he didn’t think it was fair for her. She had already lost so many of her friends and family, and worst of all, her dearest big brother. It wasn’t fair if the only other one who had sworn to protect her from everything no matter what the situation would be gone as well.

Wait, big brother? So, was it her big brother he couldn’t get out of his mind despite not remembering him at all? All the evidence he had found out up until now, as well as the fragments of his memories pointed there, so maybe it was so.

But, didn’t that mean it was that big brother that had killed Euphie? Because if so, that would mean this person was also Euphie’s family, that this person had been Euphie’s brother as well.

No, of course he should have known. Milly had said ‘he’ was the 11th prince of Britannia, and Gino had said something about 'him' killing his own brother and sister. Of course he was their family. He should have remembered and made the connection. But still, Nunnally’s big brother? He and Nunnally were childhood friends, and Milly had said that as well, so why couldn’t he remember the prince as well? Why was ‘he’ erased from all of his memories from those days?

“Suzaku, are you alright? You just suddenly tensed up”, Euphie said as she let go of him. She furrowed her brows and watched him with a worried expression painted over her face.

“Yeah, I’m fine— no, I’m not.” It was no time for lies. If he wasn’t fine, he should just outright admit it. “Fragments of my memories keep coming to me, and I cannot connect them very well. All I know is that I keep remembering someone whose life has been tied to mine, someone I can’t rid of my mind no matter what, and that they— that he is Nunnally’s big brother, and in all likeliness, the one who killed you in cold blood. Someone who everyone else knows and remembers, but of whom no one tells me anything about.”

“Ah, him. Of course, who else. Yeah, he indeed killed me, but he didn’t want to, and he most certainly didn’t do it in cold blood. He apologised to me the second he saw me after he died and told me he never stopped regretting it”, she smiled and took his hands in her own.

“And if you’re thinking about that him being Nunnally’s brother means that he is mine as well, then yes, that is true, and yes, that means my own half-brother killed me. But, as much as I hate to think of and especially admit it, our family — the Britannian Imperial Family — has always through all of its existence been one where the members kill each other for various reasons, so it wasn’t like it was completely unexpected, even. Well, from him, it was, but he had his reasons and explained them to me, and he apologised, so it’s fine. He meant none of the things he did to me back then, and I understand that after that accident that made people dub me genocide princess, it was the only way he saw. He decided that the least he could do for me was to free me from that curse by killing me, and I mean, it worked.”

“But— but he killed you?!”

“And you took him to our father and just watched as you let our father strip him of his identity, dignity, and memories of his actual past, mother and even _Nunnally_ , so you’re even. You’re the only one who held a grudge against him for that, Suzaku. Not me. Never me”, she said, sounding like she was scolding him. Actually, nevermind ‘sounding’, because she was most definitely scolding him.

“So that was the betrayal Kallen mentioned.”

“Yes. That is very much the betrayal, although I don’t think it was the only one between you two. Hey, why won’t we sit down and talk for a bit? I think you should remember him. You both held each other so dear and trusted one another so much more than anyone would think after everything you went through, so I think it isn’t fair for either of you if you cannot remember him. He had a great impact on your life and was the reason it took a complete turn around —  he affected pretty much all of your life. If you can’t remember him, you can’t truly remember even your own life.”

“All of my life?”

“Well, about all of it since you were nine or ten, so yeah. You were childhood friends. My father threw him and Nunnally away and got them to live with your family as political hostages. Not that it truly meant anything since father started a war with Japan as he decided to invade it only a year after they arrived to Japan, and by now I’ve finally accepted that he couldn’t have cared less if they died at all.”

“That’s… terrible.”

“Yeah, so it indeed is. Like said, our family was dysfunctional.”

Euphie took Suzaku’s hand in hers and patted it. “And, I really think you should remember him and see him again. I can’t take you to him just yet, you need to find out other things that I couldn’t know — and thus tell you about — about first. Besides, it is better if you can remember your own memories rather than be told them from someone else’s perspective.

“Why would i need to remember him first?”

“It’s because… Well, there were so many things one could call betrayals between the two of you, and so many sorrows and cruelties caused or experienced by at least one of you that it’s better if you remember them first. Besides, I want him to come back to us, and if you can’t remember him, I don’t think even you can manage to bring him back to us. You are the only one who can do it right now. The only other one would be Nunnally but she’s still alive. She can’t yet do anything. And, it would be unfair if she was the one that needed to do it when she came. She should just be able to run to his arms and be happy again.”

“Anya said the same.”

“Of course she did. She was friends with Nunnally and watched her grieve over him for years, after all.”

Suzaku nodded, not sure if he understood or not. But, as Euphie said, maybe it would be better if he remembered the ‘he’ of whom he kept remembering only bits and pieces from the time he knew him, especially as some of the things didn’t sound all that lovely.

“...louch and I can do anything together…”, he mumbled. Those words just came to his mind as he thought about what he knew of this ‘him’.

Did being Zero have something to do with it as well? Suzaku knew he had become Zero for something — or someone —, and Anya, Kallen and Gino had confirmed that there had been another Zero before him. The previous Zero had been the someone he couldn’t remember for the life of his. Why had he ever stopped being Zero?

And then there was the fact Gino had said something about Suzaku killing someone specific that sounded like he had been about to say emperor before Kallen interrupted him, completely on purpose.

_Why couldn’t he remember?I_

“Yes, you were able to do literally anything together, even take over an empire like it was nothing.”

Suzaku stopped in his tracks and turned to stare at Euphie in horror. If this ‘he’ was a prince and he and Suzaku had taken over an empire, that meant ‘he’ had in all likeliness become the emperor. Taking Gino’s words to account, that only meant Suzaku had either killed Euphie’s father, or… the ‘he’ he couldn’t remember. And if Kallen’s words, “it was all their plan”, were anything to go by, they had planned for Suzaku to kill ‘him’.

“I— I was what killed him, wasn’t I?”

“Yes, you actually were.”

“And… It was our plan? It was our — his and mine — plan to kill him?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I can’t provide you an answer. That you have to remember yourself. Do you still remember his name?”

“No, why?”

“Because you just mumbled a part of his name a minute or so ago.”

Suzaku looked at Euphie as though she had said something completely out of blue. Okay, that’s exactly what happened, but still.

“A part of his name? What did I say?”

“‘Louch.”

‘Louch…. Suzaku tried to find a name that sounded like it from his uncertain and vague memories but could find nothing. He shook his head sadly. “No. I can't remember anything.”

A sigh escaped Euphie’s lips before she breathed out a laugh. “I thought as much. It can’t be helped, though.”

They talked for hours to come, but Suzaku still couldn’t remember much more. The only things he was able to find out (either from Euphie or by digging the things out from the depths of his forgotten recollections) were that ‘he’ was indeed the emperor before Nunnally (which explained why Nunnally was able to bypass Cornelia and Schneizel who were both heirs to the throne before her when their father had still been alive — she became the first heir to the imperial throne when her brother took over the throne as he didn’t have any other full-blood siblings, a wife or children), and that it was ‘him’ for whom Suzaku had become Zero. He still didn’t know or understand why he did it, why he had killed ‘him’, or even what ‘his’ name was. There was a lot he had forgotten about and that really bothered him.

Finally Euphie shook her head and stood up. “Well, let’s go for a short walk before I take you to him. I don’t think you’ll be able to remember anything more while you’re with me, and I’m still trying not to tell you what I know since my knowledge about either of your lives is very likely inaccurate in many things. I also wouldn’t know about any details you should know about. Let’s go. I want you two to be finally happy. I just want to see you two smiling.

“Him and me both?”

“Yes. I can barely remember a time when you were both happy, if at all. A happy ending is long overdue by now, and since fate seems to have decided it isn’t going to do anything about your happiness, I’m taking matters into my own hands.”

Her voice was decisive and final, it left Suzaku no space for arguing. She was clearly determined to do what she said, and well, she was right. He indeed hadn’t been happy for as long as he could remember, aside from the moment he saw Euphie again. He could welcome this happiness she was talking about, although he wasn’t sure if he even deserved such luxury.

“So, what do you know about him by now? I need to know if there’s something you _must_ remember before meeting him”, she asked, walking along the shore. She was headed towards the rocky mountains that surrounded the place. They were the only gloomy thing about the entire place, and now that Suzaku thought about it, they looked as though someone had burnt and tried to destroy them.

He wasn’t sure if he wanted to go any closer to them, but because Euphie didn’t seem to be bothered by their grim presence at all, he brushed his uncertainty off (for now). After all, he trusted Euphie. Where she went, he followed — he had once been her knight, that was his job.

(Although, Suzaku had a feeling his ‘where you go, I follow’ had been given to someone else entirely a long time ago. To someone he loved with all his being despite every warning sign they emitted. To someone he shouldn’t have ever forgotten about. To someone he knew for sure would move mountains and turn east into west for those they loved.)

((Could it have been the one of whom everyone talked?))

“I know he was apparently my best friend, he killed you, he is Nunnally’s big brother, he’s dead and I killed him — for what though, I can’t recall —, everyone here knows more than I do although I suppose I should know him better than them, he was the emperor for only mere months before his death, I became Zero for him… And that he and I are bound together by fate of some sorts, apparently, since I can’t seem to get this feeling I shouldn’t forget someone I suppose is him out of my mind”, he said, his voice growing quieter the closer he got to the end.

Suzaku didn’t realise he was trembling or that there were tears on his cheeks until Euphie stopped him and wiped the tears away. She hugged him, first unsure since she didn’t know if it was an okay thing to do in this situation, but when he didn’t struggle or even move — aside from never having stopped trembling —, she embraced him and held him tightly against her.

“It’ll be alright. I’ll just take you to him now. You’ll be alright”, she whispered to him and stroked his back gently. “You’ll be just fine. I promise.”

A warm hand held his own tightly and then lead him towards the same mountains he had decided were kind of horrifying earlier. He didn’t really pay attention to it as he was trying to bat the tears in his eyes away, though, so at some point he just realised they were far too close to the mountains — right in front of a dark cave.

“Go, Suzaku, and please, return with him. If it isn’t possible, that’s fine, but try. You’re not allowed back outside before you’ve put great effort in trying or brought him with you”, Euphie said and pushed him gently inside the cave. “Don’t worry, it’s safe. You have nothing to be afraid of in there.”

Suzaku was kind of suspicious about going in despite Euphie’s warm and genuine words as she tried to reassure him into going, but walked in anyways. She had never lied to him about this kind of things, so he decided he could trust her now as well.

There was almost no light or sound inside. The warm air that had surrounded him outside was gone here, it was humid and cold, and it got colder the deeper he went. It didn’t stop him from following the tiny light he could see far away. If he wanted to get somewhere, it was his best chance to follow it.

As he got to the end of the tunnel, a more open space appeared in front of his eyes. There was a torch on the wall, and in the warm glow of the flame, he could see a form sitting on the ground, alone, their head pressed to their knees. They didn't seem to realise someone was coming until Suzaku was only a metre or so away.

“Go away, and never return. You shouldn’t be here. If Euphie, Shirley or someone with them sent you, go back and tell them I won’t come ou no matter how hard or how many times they try. If you are Shirley or Euphie, I still won’t come out, you should know that by now after trying so many times, and I’m still sorry for everything I did. You weren’t supposed to die so early, not because of me”, they said, never once looking at him. Because of their words, Suzaku suspected they were the ‘he’ everyone had at least mentioned and tried to get him to remember.

Their voice was familiar to Suzaku, far too familiar, and so the longing in Suzaku’s chest grew louder and much more painful. He was sure they were indeed the ‘he’ he should have never forgotten about.

_Why couldn’t he remember? He wanted to remember._

“I’m sorry, but Euphie told me I wasn’t allowed out until I succeeded, or at least until I spoke with you and held an actual conversation with you about how you should come with me, I suppose”, he said and walked to the person, kneeling down next to him so that they were on the same level. “Everyone else told me to try to get you out as well, so I don’t think I have a choice here. I’m sorry.”

The person whipped his head to see Suzaku when he heard him speak, and Suzaku saw his eyes widen. “Su— Suzaku? Why are you—? Why _aren’t_ you—?” It seemed to take the man a lot of efforts to get even those disconnected sentences out of his mouth, and honestly, Suzaku couldn’t blame him.

“I’m sorry, I can’t remember your name, nor do I understand what you’re asking me. I’m truly sorry.” He really was. He knew this person was so very important to him and meant more than Suzaku’s own life to him, but he couldn’t remember him to save his life, and he hated it.

“Oh. I thought— I thought you would remember me, after everything… I suppose that it was too much for me to ask you in the first place. It’s fine. Then, why in the world are you here? Why aren’t you with Euphie?”

“She told me to come here.”

“Of course she did.”

Suzaku wondered if he should address this person’s immediate answer of “I suppose that it was too much for me to ask you in the first place” when it came to Suzaku remembering him and say what he thought about it and him, because Suzaku knew he had never wanted to forget. He knew he was never supposed to forget. Eventually he decided he should address it. There was nothing to lose either.

“So, while I may not remember a lot about you, I do know some things, and—”

“I suppose Euphie and the others told you.”

“— _and_ most of all — as well as most importantly — I know I never wanted to forget. It’s the last thing I could ever want. I wish I remembered. But, even if I don’t remember, even if I never can, I know that you were important to me because there is no one else that I could constantly find returning to my mind and never truly leaving. I know that the second I heard your voice, my heart was filled with longing and some sort of regret. And I’m genuinely sorry I forgot.”

Tears were slowly prickling in Suzaku’s eyes, but he just wiped them away and kept staring in the violet eyes in front of him. He couldn’t stop, not right now. It wouldn’t be fair to either of them if he did. He opened his mouth and just let words spill out. Maybe if he didn’t think about what to say, he could say what needed to be said.

“After all, I was your loyal knight and you were my emperor. You were my best friend — my first friend. I promised I would never forget, and yet somehow I did. I’m sorry, that even when I knew everything had come to and end, I couldn’t tell you how I truly felt, and that instead of that, the last thing I ever told you was that I accepted your geass.”

It took Suzaku a few seconds before he realised what he had said. He didn’t know where the words had come from, but he knew every word was true nevertheless, that he meant each and every one of them. He supposed they came from the bottom of his heart, where he had once hid his feelings for this person a long time ago. Suzaku watched the look in the other’s eyes change, and it pained him to see it went from hopeful to sorrowful. Suzaku hated it, partly because it made his own heart clench painfully, and when he saw a tear roll down his cheek, he instinctively wiped it off with his thumb.

_“There’s no way he’s truly gone. I refuse to believe it. I’m sure he’s just become immortal, like C.C. is. Then he will come back to me, right?”_

_“NO! The world doesn’t deserve the peace it has been gifted because they abandoned and tossed the only one able to give it to them aside without a second thought! I hate the world more than anything, I wish it would just die and rot away! I hate all the gods that let this happen!”_

_“What if I hadn’t pierced his heart but near it so he would have only been seriously injured, but not dead? He would be alive now. If only I had done that… Please, any gods out there, if you’ll just let me see him one last time, I will do anything you want! I’ll never ask for anything else ever again and just spend my entire life as Zero like I’m supposed to. I will do anything! Just, please…”_

_“Come back, Lelouch! Come back! Please, don’t leave me alone, I don’t want to live this life without you by my side…”_

_“I suppose you are truly dead and won’t be coming back to me. I hope you’re happy wherever you are. I’m sorry. I will now truly devote my life to being Zero as you asked me to. For you I will take care of this world she and I have grown to hate and detest so much, because there’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do if it meant I could grant your last wish.”_

_“You know, Lelouch, she’s so much like you. She does what is necessary for the world to live in peace without caring about her own wishes. She would kill every last person that walks upon this world if it meant bringing you back, and she said it with a smile on her face. She too knows how to hide her true emotions behind a façade. I’m sure you would be sad if you knew how miserable she is. We both hope you’re at peace wherever you are. We won’t abandon the world you sacrificed your life for._

_“I will never forget you because I loved you too much.”_

_“...No, I still love you even though you’ve been dead for years. It’s impossible for me not to love you…”_

_“...Lel_ ouch.”

Everything came to him rushing. All the pain and sorrow, agony, longing, everything. But, when he looked at Lelouch, he could also sense the happiness and love he felt towards Lelouch taking place and settling down in his heart.

“Suzaku.”

Lelouch breathed his name out, and then a small smile grew on his face. It was only barely there, but it was there nonetheless, gracing his lips. There were still tears in his eyes and they every now and then fell down his cheeks onto the dry ground, but Suzaku wiped every single one of them away. Lelouch leaned closer to him and his hands and, as his smile grew wider, closed his eyes. As though on cue, Suzaku closed the distance between them, pressing his lips against Lelouch’s.

For a moment Suzaku panicked and thought he shouldn’t have done that, but then he felt Lelouch melt into the kiss, and breathed out a sigh of relief. Lelouch’s lips were warm and wet, and they tasted like salt, probably because of all the tears Lelouch had cried.

His hand wandered to Lelouch’s soft, silky hair and began stroking them. Lelouch simply held tightly onto his shoulders, shaking, as though he was terrified that the second he let go would wake up and see Suzaku gone.

“Please, never lose your hold of me again”, Lelouch whispered against his lips, desperation filling and echoing in his voice. Suzaku knew he was just as desperate himself, so it was nothing he could shame Lelouch for — not that he would have anyway done so.

“I won’t, I swear, but you need to come outside with me.”

“I can’t!”

“Why?”

“I need to suffer for what I did. Remember, we agreed on our punishments decades ago, and death was to be mine. I cannot just stop now!”

Suzaku sighed and smiled. “Lelouch, if I’m free of mine since I no longer live as Zero — or even live —, then you don’t nor should need to be tied to yours either. Please, come with me. They all miss you and have forgiven you ages ago.”

“But, how could any of them forgive me? I was the one that caused Shirley and Rolo’s deaths, I _killed_ Euphie with my own hands, caused so much pain to Kallen, Milly and Rivalz, and so many others suffered because of me as well. How could they forgive me?”

“It’s because they love you and know what you did was for the world to be in peace. They don’t think your actions can be justified, but forgiveness and love don’t require them to think your — or my — actions were okay. Please. Euphie wishes to see you again, and you know you owe her that much. Same with Shirley even though you weren’t the one that killed her or  ordered her death.”

Lelouch stayed silent for a while but stood up then. Suzaku grabbed his hand and walked towards the exit, glad he was able to convince Lelouch to come with him. He was so glad to have him back, this time for eternity as they were both dead and nothing could any longer separate the two.

Lelouch’s steps weren’t stable as he walked behind Suzaku, and he seemed to hesitate more the closer they got to the exit, but Suzaku didn’t let his hold of Lelouch get any looser than it was so that he couldn’t lose him ever again.

It was likely Lelouch thought he shouldn’t come out, that he didn’t trust it would be okay or acceptable to do so, but he trusted Suzaku enough to take his hand and let him lead anyway. It meant a lot to him. He still wanted to be the one to whose hands Lelouch would trust his own and even Nunnally’s life, and even though this was on a smaller scale, it still held significance since they hadn’t seen one another once in decades.

The bright light outside almost blinded Suzaku as he stepped outside, but was soon met by an excited princess with pink hair. “Suzaku! You got him out, right?”, she asked, enthusiasm clear in her voice.

Suzaku just stepped aside to show her who was behind him. “Yes, I did. He’s finally here.”

Euphie looked at Suzaku with a grateful glint in her eyes before she turned her gaze to Lelouch, tears dwelling in her eyes. One could have thought she was sad at first, but then the corners of her lips curled and she was smiling. She reached her hand towards Lelouch, first touching his cheek as though to make sure he really was there. Then she pulled Lelouch to her embrace and pressed her face to his shoulder.

“I’m so glad you’re back. I’ve missed you so much, Lelouch. You don’t need to suffer any longer”, she said, her tears wetting his shoulder. “Please don’t apologise anymore, we’ve forgiven you.”

Lelouch looked lost, his hands jerking back a few times before he finally let himself hug Euphie back. He stroked her hair gently. The sight made Suzaku swallow back tears of happiness. The two half-siblings were reunited again, and if he had ever doubted Lelouch’s honesty about not wanting Euphie to die before, he no longer did. The way they both acted was so genuine, and it was obvious they had missed each other.

Yeah, although things had never been easy for them, Suzaku was sure everything was going to be just fine, like Euphie had assured him before. They were going to be alright, and they could be happy again. Maybe one day the day on which he could tell Lelouch he was in love with him would come too, and by that day they would have been able to repair the parts of each other that they had shattered.

Even though they were dead, their life had just begun, and Suzaku was going to embrace every single moment of it.

_With Lelouch._

  
  
  
  


❋❋❋❋❋❋❋

 

 

“Hey, Lelouch, she’s come.”

“Has she? Well then, we shall go meet her and not waste any more time. Let us not make her wait for us.”

“Yeah, let's not do that. We’ve made her suffer enough as it is.”

“So we have. Indeed, she is still the strongest one of us. It was never me nor you, it was always and only Nunnally.”

“Mmh. Let’s go. Arriving to C’s world isn’t the easiest experience…”

“...And we shouldn’t let our selfishness be the reason she could feel lost, albeit I doubt she would. She’s quick to adapt.”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Together until the end?”

“We better be, I don’t want you to let go of me ever again.”

“Of course not. Until the end of eternity comes by, we shall love each other.”

  


 

“Nunnally, we’re here!”

“Big brother! Suzaku.”

“...I’m back, Nunnally, and I won’t leave you ever again. I promise.”

“I love you too, big brother.”

  


 

“Hey, Kallen, I heard C.C. finally found someone worthy and strong enough for the first time in centuries. She’s here.”

“Where is she? I want to meet her!”

“Cool your tits. Lelouch is bringing her over, she demanded to see him so that she could scold him for something.”

“Why does she need to scold your boyfriend that she hasn’t seen in god knows how long, Suzaku? Oh, never mind, _that_. Of course.”

“Also, he wanted to see her even though he will probably never admit it out loud.”

“Well, they _were_ friends and haven’t seen each other in three centuries. It’s understandable. Just tell him to get her here soon.”

  


 

“Everyone’s back. Now we can fix everything, Lelouch.”

“So indeed, Suzaku, so indeed.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the fic! 
> 
> Also, Shirley totally adopted Rolo and fusses over him, and Rolo definitely loves her back (and like is that character development I see, Rolo? You're asking for Shirley's permission to introduce yourself as a Lamperouge when you originally killed her.)
> 
> And like, Lelouch and Euphie's reaction to finally seeing each other outside that damned cave? Precious. I love all these babies. 
> 
> And, you're welcome for the little bonus conversations. I needed C.C. and Nunnally with them too, so well, they were required.
> 
> Kudos and comments make my day, so do tell me what you thought of this fic! I really enjoy reading your comments(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧


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